This invention relates generally to cooking systems, and more specifically relates to method and apparatus for cooking, storing and reconstituting pasta.
Spaghetti and other pasta products are popular with customers and proprietors of convenience restaurants. Costs are considerably less per serving to buy and prepare spaghetti than for most other fast foods. However, the difficulties in time delays in rapidly preparing spaghetti had made its use as a fast food impractical for most quick service eating establishments.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,503, issued to L. Frank Moore, on May 25, 1976, discloses a system which made cooking and serving pasta more economical. In this system, the pasta is cooked in a cooking vat prior to rush periods, and then is rinsed to remove the starch and transferred to a number of containers each holding only one serving. Pasta in the container is then stored in a second vat under water until it is to be served. On demand, the pasta is then placed back in hot water for a short period of time to reconstitute the pasta, resulting in a single serving having fresh cooked quality.
This system includes a cooking vat and a storage vat. A basket lift is provided to mechanically lower and raise either bulk cooking containers, or the individual serving containers during reconstitution. The basket lift is controlled by a pair of manual timers, one for controlling the cooking period and the other for controlling the reconstituting period, so that the pasta is automatically cooked or reconstituted for the desired length of time. A single swiveled water faucet could be used to fill both the cooking vat and the reconstituting vat, and rinse the pasta, and clean the vats. A manually operable drain valve is provided for each of these vats so that water can be dumped when required.
While the above system was a significant improvement in the art of cooking pasta, and has achieved significant commercial success, there are certain deficiencies which could be overcome. The system was somewhat labor intensive because all filling and cleaning of the vats was done manually and required close personal attention throughout the procedure. When cooking or reconstituting pasta, a great deal of starch is left in the cooking water which accumulates as a foam on top of the water. The foam becomes particularly critical when the water is boiling during cooking because the agitated surfaces due to boiling enhances the foam formation. As a result, it was previously necessary to drain, clean and refill the cooking vat relatively frequently. Not only is this draining, cleaning and filling labor intensive and time consuming, but productive cooking time and energy are also consumed each time the substantial volume of water must be heated to boiling.
The present invention is concerned with improvements in the system disclosed in the above referenced patent which significantly reduce the labor required to drain, clean and fill the cooking vats, reduces the frequency with which the cooking vat must be drained, reduces down time from cooking, and reduces energy consumption. The improvement in the system includes an automatic water fill for the cooking vat, includes a water fill valve, a level sensor and a control circuit which also automatically maintains the water at a predetermined normal operating level during cooking. In accordance with another important aspect of the present invention, an overflow weir leading to a waste disposal drain is provided at a level just above the normal operating level which results in the automatic removal of any excess water which might enter the cooking vat during the rinsing operation. The overflow weir is designed to provide a substantial width of cascading water so that by keeping the water fill valve open even though the water is above the normal operating level for a predetermined time so that excess water is introduced which overflows the weir to remove starchy foam from the surface of the water.
In accordance with another important aspect of the invention, a drain is provided for the cooking vat which will remove water by gravity at a greater rate than water can be added through a fill valve and nozzle. As a result, during a cycle, water is automatically introduced to the vat during the entire drain cycle to provide automatic rinsing.
In accordance with another important aspect of the invention, the water is introduced to the cooking vat by means of a spray nozzle which enhances movement of foam on the surface of the water over the weir during a skim cycle, and also which enhances rinsing of the vat during a drain cycle.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a low water level detector is provided and a microprocessor based control system is provided to prevent operation of the heating elements whenever the water is below the low level detector.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a low cost water level sensing system is provided which uses single rod electrical probes and the wall of the cooking vat to detect the presence or absence of water by the reduced electrical resistances of the water between the two. Cathodic corrosion is avoided by using a low voltage, low amperage alternating current through the water.
The control system also includes programmable timers for the cooking and the reconstituting cycles which control basket lifts for lowering and raising the pasta from the hot water. The system also includes a thermostatically controlled heater for establishing a simmer temperature below the boil temperature to prevent surface agitation and water loss during period other than the cook cycle. A keyboard entry system permits changing the times for each of the cook and reconstitution cycles as well as on/off, boil, simmer, skim, and start time.